


The Fieldtrip

by skypirateb



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Demeter is that one friend who treats ur life as her fave TV show, Extraneous Titanic References, F/M, Ice Skating, Pre-Relationship, also idk if i should tag this as "dem/zeus/pos if u squint", and if people don't see that then that's on them, i feel like everything i write is dem/zeus/pos if u squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29284359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skypirateb/pseuds/skypirateb
Summary: Hera ground her teeth. "Are you trying to bribe me into flirting for a grade?"Demeter shrugged. "Easy A."
Relationships: Demeter & Hera (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Hera/Zeus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	The Fieldtrip

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure this is chellerrific's fault, somehow.
> 
> Written a while ago. I'm. I'm trying to get better about posting stuff that is simply a cute one-shot in an AU that exists rent free in my head. Not everything has to be an epic, self!!!
> 
> That said, if I post anything else set in the same universe I'll start a work collection or series or however that works.

"This field trip sucks," Demeter complained. She was wrapped in several layers of winter clothing and had a knitted hat pulled down over her wild curls. "Hera, agree with me."

Hera was meticulously lacing up her skates and didn't answer right away. "I don't know," she said slowly. "Some people might be humbled by it."

Out on the rink, there was a squawk and _thud_ as Hades landed on his backside. Hestia squeaked and glided over to him.

Demeter sighed heavily. Her breath fogged the air briefly. "I'd rather watch him suffer from somewhere warm."

Hera stood, testing her balance. Rental skates always kind of sucked. They rattled against her ankle bones. But she had never bothered to replace her own skates after she lost interest in skating at age eight to focus more on ballet.

Which she had also dropped now, but that was besides the point.

"I used to skate a little," she said. "I'll help you."

Demeter rolled her eyes. "Of course you fucking did. Did you come out of the womb pirouetting?"

Hera stuck her tongue out at Demeter. "Come on, you big baby." She grabbed Demeter's hand and dragged her to the edge of the rink. "You don't want to look worse than Hades, do you?"

They looked over to where Hades was clinging to the barrier, knobbly knees knocking together dangerously. Hestia was trying to coax him back onto the ice.

"I mean, I can do better than that," Demeter grumbled.

"Obviously," Hera said lightly. "Come on, let's go once around to warm up."

"Uggghhhh."

They made it safely around the rink, Hera keeping one eye on her recalcitrant friend. The rasp of blades on ice made her a little excited, like she was a kid again learning her first jump.

Demeter tugged her hand. "Look, look."

Hera looked. In the middle of the rink Zeus and Poseidon were circling dangerously, hands clasped together, trying to slingshot each other across the ice.

"Idiots," Hera muttered. Demeter giggled.

"They look like Jack and Rose in that one scene in _Titanic_."

"Oh, my god." Hera sighed. "Why are you like this?"

Demeter shrugged, her grin a little giddy. "I am who I am, chica."

"Are you sure though?" Hera titled her head. "Isn't this just how boys behave?"

Demeter shook her head. "Those two have zero personal space with each other. Look, no-one else is literally holding hands."

Hera was doubtful, but she was still new to co-ed schools. To her, zero personal space between good friends was not a novelty. "I don't know, they seem more like brothers."

"Look, okay? Compare." Demeter pointed across the ice to where Hestia had one arm clasped around Hades', helping carefully around the rink. "The twins are always behaving like that, but they never look like they're trying to find an excuse to touch each other inappropriately. Those two?" She pointed back to Zeus and Poseidon. "Can't keep their dicks off each other."

Zeus and Poseidon were now hugging each other, hockey-player style, trying to tip their partner onto the ice. Hera had to admit that there seemed to be a lot more... genital contact going on than was strictly necessary.

She sighed. "Alright, you might have a point. So what?"

"So, if they're making a sandwich, I wanna be in the middle."

"Oh, my god."

"Hey!" Demeter skated into the middle of the rink. "One of you is gonna get killed pulling bullshit like that."

Zeus looked up from the half-nelson Poseidon had gotten him into. His fringe flipped attractively and showed off his eyes. "Aww, Deo," he said. "I didn't know you cared!"

Demeter shrugged. "Everyone knows you two are a package set," she said. "Imagine how heartbroken you would be."

Poseidon rolled his eyes and released Zeus. "Not this again."

"I don't know what you mean," Demeter said lightly.

"Hera, tell your weirdo friend to stop trying to get us into bed," Zeus called as Hera skated over.

"She was your friend first," Hera pointed out. "Besides, you're the ones who were swinging around like Jack and Rose in _Titanic_."

Zeus spluttered exaggeratedly. "Excuse me, Princess," he said. "If anyone is Rose in this group, it's you."

Hera flushed bright red. "I'm not having this conversation."

Zeus smirked. "Why? Because you know I'm Jack?"

"Jack-ass, maybe," Demeter shot back. Poseidon snorted.

"Are you giving me permission to leave you here to freeze to death?" Hera asked loftily.

Zeus put his hand over his heart, wounded. "You promised you'd never let go!"

"And yet," Hera said, starting to slalom backwards, "I'm still letting go." She waved daintily. "Buh-bye now."

"I'll haunt you, Rose!" Zeus called after her.

Demeter returned to Hera's side. "Wow."

Hera glanced at her. "Wow, what?"

"Wow, that was a lot of flirting." Demeter looped her arm around Hera's. "Wow, you totally wanna tap that."

"I do not!"

"You so do." Demeter was grinning. "He's been flirting with you ever since you got here, but he flirts with everyone."

"I was not _flirting_."

"He thinks you were." Demeter pointed back towards Zeus and Poseidon, who were now doing a dramatic re-enactment of the bow scene from _Titanic_.

"Looks more like I gave them another excuse to get all over each other." Hera crossed her arms. "You're welcome for that, by the way."

Demeter grinned. "Sure, sure. That was definitely your motive."

"I didn't have a motive!"

"He's right, though, you are a bit Rose-ish," Demeter said consideringly. "But like, early movie Rose who's all uptight and needs the Manic Pixie Dream Boy to get her out of her shell. _Y voila_." Demeter swept her hand out over the expanse of ice. "What the heroine needs, the universe provides."

Zeus was now lying on his back on the ice while Poseidon cried "Jack! Jack!" above him.

"Charming," Hera deadpanned.

"You just need to do something now to show him that you're not uptight and you totally have grit." Demeter twirled one of her curls around her finger. "Oo! Do a jump!"

"What?! No! I'm not doing a jump!"

"You said you used to skate, right?"

"Yes, when I was eight."

"And you don't deny that you know how to do a jump?"

"…Well, yes, but..."

"And the point of this field trip is to get points towards our athleticism grade for gym class."

Hera ground her teeth. "Are you trying to bribe me into flirting for a grade?"

Demeter shrugged. "Easy A."

"Never mind how unstable these skates are," Hera said. "Never mind how dangerous it is to pull that kind of stunt without a proper coach around. Never mind that I could break my ankle."

Demeter sighed. "Then I guess you're destined to be early-movie Rose forever."

"I'm surprisingly alright with that."

Demeter sighed again. "Fine. C'mon, let's go watch Hades be Bambi all over the place."

* * *

Hera did not believe for a second that Demeter was going to let it drop that easily.

So she was unsurprised when Zeus slid up next to her on the bench where she was trying to enjoy a hot chocolate with lunch.

"Hey Rose," he said.

"Hello, Jack-ass."

Zeus laughed. "So. I hear you can jump on ice."

Hera set down her cup and glared across the table at Demeter.

"Can you believe they don't have vegan fries here?" Demeter said innocently. "What if I want a hot grease-ball with my salad?"

"Well, you heard wrong," Hera said. "I'm not going to do a jump."

"But you _can_ do one?" Zeus said, stealing one of her fries.

Hera sipped her hot chocolate. "That really isn't any of your business."

Zeus sighed. "Figures. I knew you were lying."

Hera slammed her cup down. "Excuse me?"

"Y'know, showing off to get the attention, but too chicken to actually follow through." Zeus shrugged and looked at Demeter. "Private school girls, amirite?"

Demeter wisely kept her mouth shut.

"I am not a liar," Hera said forcefully. "It's not safe to do a jump in these skates."

"Excuses, excuses," Zeus said. "Ah, well. Guess you are that boring."

"I am not boring and I'm not a liar!"

Zeus just shrugged. Hera took a deep breath.

" _And_ I don't have to prove anything to you," she said. "I'm not jumping."

"Not even a measly little toe loop?" Zeus asked. Hera stared at him. "What? I can know skating stuff," he said.

"You know how to use Google, more like," Hera retorted. "Toe loops are more advanced than the jumps that I learned."

"So what did you learn?"

Hera sighed. "Bunny hop, monkey, waltz... why do you care?"

"Cause I wanted to see you do something cool for once."

"Alright, that's it." Hera shoved her tray towards Demeter, then dumped her scarf, jacket, and thick gloves onto the table. "Look after these."

Demeter raised her eyebrows. Hera ignored it. She pulled on her thin gloves and marched over to the edge of the rink. She was aware of Zeus following her, smirking, and her classmates swivelling in their seats, but she didn't care.

A waltz jump would be simple enough. They had them in ballet too, sort of, and the back entry would look impressive. She stretched out her shoulders and took off onto the ice.

She had been holding back before. The muscle memory was still very much there. She sped around the rink a couple of times, getting used to the size of the space she had to work with. She skated backwards a little, and tested her swizzles. Finally she pulled up to where Zeus was leaning on the edge of the rink.

"Watch closely, Jack-ass."

Zeus, infuriatingly, grinned at her.

Hera took off.

A third of the way around the rink, she turned backwards built up speed, and jumped.

The landing was messy, and she had to sink too low to stay on her blade.

_One more_ , she thought.

Halfway around the rink, she tried again.

It was a cleaner jump, but the take off didn't have quite enough power in it, and she under-rotated.

_Under-rotating a waltz, for goodness sake._ If she had stuck with this, she would be competitive by now.

No use crying over cracked ice. She lined up a final attempt...

And performed it adequately.

She skated back to the entrance of the rink and bunny hopped off the ice.

"There," she spat at Zeus. "Three jumps for the price of one."

He whistled at her as she stalked off.

Demeter was grinning when Hera sat back down in her seat. "What?" Hera demanded.

"He called you boring and you did three jumps with _everyone_ watching," Demeter said. "You _totally_ wanna tap that."

"Oh... shut up," Hera said, and crammed her sandwich into her mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> AO3 doesn't have a pm function but I still check [tumblr](https://skypirateb.tumblr.com/ask) feel free to message me there. I have limitless quantities of headcanons and time.


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